What’s all the stink about in Watsonville?

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Santa Cruz County Environmental Health says they've found the source of a foul odor spreading through parts of the city.

Environmental Health officials say it's a naturally-occurring smell that was triggered by rainwater in October.

They found it had accumulated in the drained College lakebed, causing bacterial activity and likely released the foul-smell.

According to a notice from the city, the smell was worsened by a dry spell and high temperatures in November, which caused the water to be stagnant and accelerated bacterial activity. All of this led to the odor being more potent.

The county says they were helped pin-pointing where the smell was coming from thanks to the Salsipuedes Sanitary District, the Pajaro Valley Water District and people living in Watsonville who created "odor maps."